Mr. Riyaz Ahmed is the Director for India, Middle East, and Africa operations at SalusZen Additives India Pvt. Ltd. He holds a Master’s degree in Microbiology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Finance from IIM Calicut. With over 22 years of experience in the biocides industry, Mr. Ahmed has held key roles at leading multinational companies, including Lonza (now Arxada), Sanitized, AkzoNobel (now Nouryon) and Kumar Organics. His expertise spans specialty chemicals across Asia and the Gulf regions, providing him with deep insight into both technical and market dynamics. Throughout his career, he has partnered with a wide range of industries, including paints and coatings, polymer emulsions, home and personal care, water treatment, paper chemicals, plastics, textiles, leather and construction chemicals. His comprehensive knowledge and leadership continue to advance innovative and sustainable biocidal solutions across these sectors.
Dr. Dinesh Patel, born and educated in India, holds a PhD in Polymer Science. He began his career in R&D and production roles with companies such as Asian PPG Industries and Synpol Resins. In 2001, he joined National Paints, Sharjah, and is a certified NACE Level II Coating Inspector. He later moved to Bayer Middle East (now Covestro) as Regional Technical Manager for the Coatings, Adhesives & Specialties (CAS) division. In 2014, Dr. Patel established a technical laboratory in Dubai to strengthen customer support and provide training on Covestro products. He brings with him over 30 years of experience across the coatings industry in the Middle East, Africa and India.
Mr. Sachin Arte holds an M.Sc. in Inorganic Chemistry, along with a Diploma in Paint Technology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing Management. He has been with Evonik Gulf FZE in Dubai since 2006, serving as Senior Business Manager for the Middle East & Africa Region within the Business Line Crosslinkers. With over 35 years of experience in the coatings and construction industries, his career began as an R&D Chemist with Asian Paints India Ltd, followed by roles in sales and marketing with leading paint and construction chemical companies in India and the Middle East. A passionate advocate for sustainability, Mr. Arte has completed certifications including Introduction to Sustainability from the University of Illinois (Coursera) and LinkedIn Learning courses in Sustainability Strategies, Fundamentals of Sustainable Supply Chains and Employee’s Guide to Sustainability (2022). With more than 25 years of experience in the Middle East, including time based in Muscat, Oman, Mr. Arte is currently based in Dubai, actively promoting Evonik’s Crosslinkers portfolio across the MEA region.
Ivy Xu has over 25 years of professional experience in global business, with a particular focus on the coatings equipment industry for more than 6 years. In 2024, she joined BEVS as the Technical & Sales Director, where she is responsible for global marketing and sales, as well as providing technical support to customers and distributors. BEVS is a leading manufacturer specialising in testing instruments for coatings, inks, paints and resins, as well as laboratory automation solutions. They are pioneers in integrating AI technology into testing instruments within our industry. Moreover, they are the only global competitor to develop an intelligent robotic testing and inspection system, designed to meet the demands of a highly competitive and technology-driven industry. BEVS technology continues to empower industries such as coatings, inks, rubber, plastics, new energy and advanced materials. They play a vital role in delivering value-added services to users worldwide.
Mr. Gaurav Singhania, born in 1982, completed his schooling at Cathedral & John Connon School, Mumbai. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College, USA, an Ivy League institution, where he graduated summa cum laude. He also studied at Keble College, Oxford University, and completed the Owner/President Management (OPM) programme at Harvard Business School in 2023. Mr. Singhania has professional experience with the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs, New York and the Boston Consulting Group, New York. He is an active member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Mumbai and the Young Presidents’ Organisation (YPO) Bombay Chapter.
Mr. Bohn is the Director of Orr & Boss Consulting Incorporated. He has extensive experience in collecting market and customer intelligence and has served as Project Manager and Lead Consultant on numerous market research projects within the global coatings market. In addition to his marketing expertise, he has experience in industrial chemicals, coatings manufacturing and operations. Mr. Bohn holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, an M.S. in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Rashad Hasnain has been with WACKER since 2018 and works as a Technical Manager for the Construction Polymers division across the MEA region. He has several years of experience in product development, characterisation and technical support for polymer products used in a range of commodity and engineering plastic applications. He holds a Master’s degree in Chemistry and an MPhil in Analytical Chemistry from the University of the Punjab, Pakistan.
Andy began his career with ICI Paints (now Akzo) in 1984 and moved into pigments in 1991, joining SCM Chemicals (now Tronox) as a Technical Service Manager. He then spent 17 years in the TiO₂ industry, working across all markets and ultimately becoming Global Account Manager for Akzo, BASF and PPG. In 2007, he moved into the colours sector as Sales Director for Rockwood Pigments, before joining Cathay Pigments (both now Oxerra) as Vice President, Global Key Accounts, in 2013. In early 2017, he returned to the TiO₂ sector with FP Pigments and now heads the business unit for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Dr. Sreenivas K.M. is the Technical Applications Manager and Lab Lead at LANXESS Middle East, bringing over 13 years of expertise in microbial control and specialty chemical applications. He specialises in the technical application of biocides for the paints, coatings, and construction industries, with a strong focus on long-term product preservation, plant hygiene, and material protection. His work spans in-can and dry-film preservation, benchmarking biocide performance to prevent spoilage and fungal or algal growth in decorative and industrial coatings. He also leads initiatives in plant hygiene and microbial monitoring, implementing advanced ATP- and qPCR-based testing to reduce contamination in manufacturing facilities and storage systems. Dr. Sreenivas’s expertise extends to sustainable formulation, where he collaborates with formulators to optimise biocide dosages that deliver high-performance protection while complying with regional regulatory and sustainability requirements. He also applies biocide science to mitigate corrosion and degradation, helping to ensure the durability of infrastructure and specialised coatings. With more than 15 scientific publications and book chapters to his credit, Dr. Sreenivas is recognised for bridging advanced laboratory diagnostics with large-scale industrial practice. His data-driven approach to microbial control helps manufacturers enhance product shelf life and maintain formulation integrity.
With the baton wielded by Dr Gururaj Moharir in his capacity as the innovation-oriented Technical Director at RSA, the organisation has a product range that is the latest in technology, sustainable, impeccable in quality and fairly priced, while keeping the requirements of consumers in focus. His passion is focused on their needs, desires and pain points. This helps in understanding client problems, their causes and solving them in a simplistic but effective manner – an inimitable trait of his working capability. An obsession with perfection is visible in his formulation of products and processes to make production error-free and safe for both in-house operations and clients. He has instilled high standards and values regarding safety, sustainability and wellbeing. His quest to develop products using renewable raw materials is unending, and he has already enabled the company to achieve the state of zero pollution, zero emissions and zero effluents. As a very proactive learner, he never misses an opportunity to enhance his knowledge and skills. Towards accomplishing this, he regularly participates in and interacts with industry leaders at scientific and technical seminars and workshops and is an avid reader of publications and articles. He strongly believes in practical learning too and travels far and wide to visit clients at their establishments. He works closely with them and their staff at shop-floor level to understand them better and their requirements. He has been in this industry for more than 28 years now and has been busy helping clients overcome their problems and achieve their desired goals. He has been invited to deliver presentations by many associations, including SSPC, and has served on advisory boards for a few event organisers in the chemical industry. He has also been entrusted to speak at many international coatings expos. Adding an important facet about Dr Gururaj as a human being, he is very down to earth and approachable, always ready to add value.
Spearheading an organisation with a zest to create and develop strategies for mutually beneficial partnerships and relationships with users, vendors and service providers, while managing costs at the same time, has been the forte of Mrs Deepa Moharir, the result-oriented Executive Director at RSA. She excels at building and retaining high-performance teams by hiring, developing and motivating skilled professionals. Deepa shares a warm rapport with and deeply cares for her team members and is closely committed to the success of the business and individuals. Her strong conviction of “happiness to all” makes her a towering figure, towards which she ceaselessly strives in all spheres of her life - personal, social and professional. Deepa pursued her education in Chemistry and carved a career in the same discipline. She has honed her strength in business acumen through a course in MBA. As a second-generation entrepreneur in Chemistry, Deepa started her career at her father’s organisation while pursuing her degree, performing varied roles in R&D as well as administration. After a major setback to her health at the young age of 20, she bounced back and started her own proprietary firm with the support of her father and husband in 1997. The flourishing business motivated them to launch a private limited firm in 2005. Her vision, combined with creative thinking and entrepreneurship, is clearly evident in the successful venture of ‘Bookworm Studyroom’, transforming a rundown space despite others’ apprehension about its viability. On successfully fulfilling her family commitments, Deepa has taken a far more active role in the organisation over the last 10 years. Being a staunch adherent and follower of the zero-defect policy, Deepa implemented new quality assurance initiatives to augment product reliability and customer satisfaction, with a strong emphasis on interdepartmental accountability and improvement in client follow-up. Her tenure in the organisation has witnessed rapid expansion in business, with a new product range, improved marketing and significantly lower expenditure. She also holds the credit for establishing guidelines for employee operating systems to standardise procedures. Deepa’s indefatigable attitude in times of crisis, encountering issues head-on and emerging triumphant, has been an asset to the company. Deep beyond her calm face lies a fun-loving and resolute woman determined to elevate the industry to much higher scales.
Mayur has been with WACKER since 2015, working as Sales Manager for the Construction Chemicals and Coatings Division, with a focus on business development across the Middle East and Africa region. He holds an MBA in Marketing Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering.
Sreeraj Rajan serves as the Technical Director at AVANCECHEM FZE, where he leads new product innovation and oversees all aspects of customer technical support. With a strong foundation in polymer science and a career spanning more than 25 years, he brings deep expertise across multiple segments of the chemical industry. Mr Rajan holds a B.Tech in Polymer Engineering and has built a distinguished career working with several leading companies, managing diverse product lines and applications, including coatings, adhesives, sealants and construction chemicals. His extensive hands-on experience covers both formulation and application development, making him a trusted technical authority in the field. Throughout his career, he has successfully developed numerous innovative products based on epoxy and polyurethane chemistries, contributing significantly to advancements in performance materials and sustainable solutions. His leadership at AVANCECHEM FZE continues to drive the company’s commitment to technical excellence, customer-centric innovation and high-performance product development.
Maryam Yaghmour is a Senior Technical Service & Development (TS&D) Specialist at Dow Construction Chemicals (DCC), supporting customers and distributors across the Middle East, Africa and India (MEAI) region. Based at the Middle East Innovation Center (MEIC) at KAUST, she specialises in developing, optimising and troubleshooting formulations for dry-mix mortar and acrylic applications. Her role involves translating customer needs into innovative solutions using Dow technologies, conducting application testing and performance evaluations, and delivering technical training to customers and stakeholders. She also works closely with Commercial, Marketing and R&D teams to support product launches, customer projects, business growth and market development. Maryam holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Synthesis from the University of California, San Diego, and a Master of Science in Chemistry from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
Satish Bagul has been heading Laboratory Operations at BYK’s Dubai laboratory since 2016, serving customers across the Middle East and East Africa. A techno-commercial professional with over 25 years of experience in the paints and coatings industry, Satish specialises in R&D, laboratory operations management and technical service. He has extensive experience in aligning technical capabilities with business objectives, developing innovative product applications and solutions, and collaborating with sales teams to drive market growth. His areas of expertise include formulation development, troubleshooting, sales support, compliance management and the delivery of practical and effective technical solutions.
Stefaan Billiet is a biochemical engineer with an additional background in economics. He began his career as a consultant before joining Mitsui & Co. Belgium and later spent several years at Mitsui’s headquarters in Tokyo. With almost 40 years of experience working with Japanese companies, he has developed extensive expertise in international business development, strategic partnerships and specialty chemicals. In 1987, Stefaan played an instrumental role in launching Kaneka’s MS Polymer business in Europe through the Kaneka-Mitsui joint venture. Starting from the ground up, he helped establish and grow the business into what has become a global market leader in hybrid polymers for sealants and adhesives. His career has been driven by a passion for innovation, building long-term customer relationships and bridging Japanese, European and Middle Eastern business cultures.
Daniele Vicardi is Global Technical Service Manager – Coatings at SI Group, based in Milan, Italy. With 18 years of experience in the coatings industry, he has extensive expertise in coatings formulation, technical service and the application of a wide range of chemistries and technologies across multiple coating segments. Since joining SI Group in 2022, Daniele has been responsible for global technical support and business development within the coatings segment. He works closely with customers and commercial and technical teams worldwide to identify market needs, develop application solutions, support product qualification and drive new business opportunities. Prior to joining SI Group, Daniele held technical service roles at Synthomer and SAPICI, following an earlier career in coatings R&D and formulation. He has a technical educational background in chemistry and biology.
Diganta Khataniar holds a BSc Tech in Paint Technology from ICT, Mumbai, and a MicroMasters qualification from IIM Bangalore. With 29 years of experience in coatings formulation, application and technical services, Diganta has developed extensive expertise across a wide range of coating segments, including automotive, industrial, protective coatings, flooring, powder coatings, can coatings and coil coatings. His technical experience spans various coating chemistries, including epoxies, polyurethanes, acrylics and polyesters. He currently serves as General Manager - R&D, Advanced Materials at Grasim Industries Ltd, part of the Aditya Birla Group. Prior to this, he held various technical roles at Valspar Coatings, PPG Industries and Asian Paints PPG, further strengthening his experience in coatings technology, formulation and technical development.
Howard Guo is a Technical Service Manager at Wanhua Chemical, with nine years of experience in polyurethane research and development. He specialises in developing aliphatic polyurethane solutions for construction applications, with a focus on global technical support and market development. He has extensive experience supporting coatings manufacturers in the development and commercialisation of polyurethane systems, from formulation development and application optimisation through to product launch. His technical expertise covers polyurethane and polyurea technologies for flooring, waterproofing, tile grout and stone carpet systems.
Rahul Garg is currently the Business Head - Latex Division at Jubilant and has been associated with the Jubilant Group for over 12 years. He brings more than 21 years of experience in managing businesses across diverse product portfolios in India and global markets, including North and Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa. He has played a key role in developing product incubation strategies and go-to-market strategies for new products across both domestic and international markets.
Atif Bhabay is currently the Regional Sales Manager - MEA at Westlake Epoxy, responsible for techno-commercial activities across the MEA region, with a focus on epoxy systems for paints and coatings, construction and civil engineering, adhesives, powder coatings, can and coil coatings, and high-performance waterborne epoxy systems for marine, protective and industrial applications. He brings more than 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles within the specialty chemicals and paints and coatings industries across the MEA region.